A new artist award supporting bold, insightful work about life in the Bay Area: where we are, and where we can go
A collaboration between SHACK15 and We♥️SF communities, with support from Art Bae
About the SHACK15 Art Prize
The SHACK15 Art Prize is a new initiative rooted in the belief that supporting the arts is a civic act: not charity, not a trend, but a deliberate contribution to the cultural fabric of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Curated in partnership with Art Bae, the SHACK15 Art Prize awards a total of $200,000 in grants to seven SHACK15 Fellows, supporting the creation of new work in San Francisco through a fellowship, public programming, and a culminating exhibition during SF Art Week 2026.
Mission
Our mission is to make space, for artists, for experimentation, and for the kind of work that changes how a city sees itself.
We believe supporting artists is a civic act: not charity, not a trend, but a deliberate contribution to the cultural and emotional life of San Francisco.
Through the Art Prize, we are building infrastructure for imagination—starting with seven artists and an open invitation that If you believe art belongs at the heart of civic life, this mission is yours, too.
Vision
Our vision is to help create a San Francisco where artists are recognized as essential and vital to its future. A city where cultural investment is not an afterthought, but a civic habit. Where institutions are porous, generosity is strategic, and care is part of the infrastructure.
We imagine public life shaped by the hands of artists, through work that is experimental, rigorous, joyful, and vulnerable.
We’re not just building a program. We’re building a precedent. One that says: we are a city that values its artists, and acts like it.
How it Works
The SHACK 15 Art Prize unfolds in two phases:
The Fellows
Seven artists are selected as SHACK15 Fellows, each will:
- Receive a $20,000 grant
- Receive a SHACK15 membership for the duration of the fellowship
- Participate in a group exhibition at SHACK15 during SF Art Week 2026
- Lead one public-facing activation (e.g. studio visit, a talk, or a community engagement of the artist’s design)
Fellows will be announced in early fall and develop their projects through the end of the year
The Exhibition & Awards
The fellowship culminates in a public group exhibition during SF Art Week 2026, hosted at SHACK15. During the exhibition, three additional awards will be presented, details to be announced as the award structure is finalized.
Together, the two phases create a full arc of artistic support—from incubation to public recognition.
Key Dates & Events
Your Art Belongs Here
The application is short, but meaningful. We want your story and your vision.
If selected, artists must submit a project description, signed MOU and a W-9
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
• Reside in one of the following zip codes
• Be 18 years or older and not currently enrolled in an undergraduate program (enrollment in MFA or post-graduate programs is permitted)
• Have exhibited, published, or publicly shared work within the past two years
• Have a CV (it can be short)
• Submit a one-page statement and bio (combined)
•. Submit a PDF of coherent body of work created within the past two years
Note: Recipients will be issued a 1099 and funds must be used for artistic development
Curated With Care
Applications will be reviewed in two rounds:
First Round: Andrew Berardini
Critic for Artforum since 2006. Co-Curator of Kris Lemsalu’s Pavilion of Estonia at the 2019 Venice Biennale, Bruce Nauman’s first ever skywriting, and was one of the Nouvelle Vague of curators at the Palais de Tokyo. Author of Relics (2015) and Colors (2023). Recipient of the Creative Capital/Andy Warhol Grant for Art Writers.
Final Selection: Margot Norton
Chief Curator at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), formerly Senior Curator at the New Museum, New York, where she curated over forty exhibitions including the 2021 New Museum Triennial: Soft Water Hard Stone. In 2017, she curated the Eighth Sequences Real Time Art Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland, and the Georgian Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale with artist Anna K.E.
